Odisha Grants Compensatory Leave for Doctors Working on Public Holidays

The Odisha government has issued a notification granting compensatory leave to medical officers who work on public holidays, aiming to ensure transparency in the allocation of leave. According to guidelines from the Health and Family Welfare Department, medical officers from the Odisha Medical and Health Services (OMHS) cadre can avail an equal number of alternative off days in the same month if they have worked on designated public holidays.

This is contingent on the availability of sufficient human resources in the hospitals, and roster arrangements must be made to ensure uninterrupted healthcare services. The superintendent or medical officer in charge of each health facility will determine the number of alternative off days based on resource availability. If there is a shortage of staff, the hospital heads can reduce the number of alternative off days.

In cases where a hospital has only one doctor, alternative off days will be decided by considering the presence of AYUSH medical officers and pharmacists. It’s important to note that alternative off days cannot be merged with Casual Leave (CL) or Earned Leave (EL), and they cannot be carried over to the next month unless the public holiday falls in the last week of that month.